Anicka Yi's 'Metaspore' at HangarBicocca Explores Microorganisms and Olfaction
At the Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, Anicka Yi presents her exhibition 'Metaspore,' which includes more than twenty installations that blend microbiology, organic elements, and social critique. The show draws connections to Anna Tsing's 'The Mushroom at the End of the World,' exploring themes of spore reproduction and cultural scent variations. Notable pieces comprise 'Immigrant Caucus' (2017), addressing the invisibility of labor; 'Auras, Orgasms and Nervous Peaches' (2011); 'Skype Sweater' (2017), which touches on migration; and 'New York's A Bitch, But God Forbid The Bitch Divorce You' (2014). Additionally, 'Le Pain Symbiotique' (2014) showcases sculptures within a synthetic stomach, while 'Biologizing the Machine (spillover zoonotica)' (2022) highlights dynamic ecosystems. Born in Seoul and raised in the US, Yi critiques visual culture through the senses of smell, touch, and taste.
Key facts
- Anicka Yi was born in Seoul in 1971 and moved to the US at age two.
- The exhibition 'Metaspore' is at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan.
- The show includes over twenty installations.
- 'Immigrant Caucus' (2017) emits a scent of Asian-American women's sweat and carpenter ants.
- 'Skype Sweater' (2017) includes a military parachute, a Longchamp bag with bovine entrails, tempura-fried plastic, and soap with rubber tubes and razors.
- 'Biologizing the Machine (spillover zoonotica)' (2022) was created with the University of Milano-Bicocca's Environmental Science department.
- Yi's work references Anna Tsing's book 'The Mushroom at the End of the World'.
- Yi uses scent, touch, and taste to address identity and social injustice.
Entities
Artists
- Anicka Yi
- Anna Tsing
- Nas
Institutions
- Pirelli HangarBicocca
- Gladstone Gallery
- 47 Canal
- University of Milano-Bicocca
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- Artribune
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Seoul
- South Korea
- United States
- New York